


Petal and Suzy and Nosey and Toes-y

by Laur



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Forgiveness, M/M, Parentlock, Post-Season 4, remembering Mary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-01 21:31:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11495142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laur/pseuds/Laur
Summary: Greg likes to tease Rosie by pretending to forget her name.





	Petal and Suzy and Nosey and Toes-y

Case file in hand, Greg Lestrade bounded up the steps to 221b and burst through the door. He nodded at John, who was still in a housecoat and was pouring himself a coffee, and grinned in response to a 5-year-old shriek.

“Uncle Greg!” Rosie cried, abandoning her pancake-with-fruit and darting from her seat at the kitchen table to ram into his legs, wrapping her arms around his hips.

“Petal!” Lestrade greeted her, tugging at her messy blond braid. Clearly, John had been in charge of hair today.

She glared up at him mightily, stepping back. “That’s not my name!”

He donned a confused expression. “Really? I could have sworn it was Petal!”

She crossed her arms, a smile ruining her put-upon expression. “It’s not!”

“Oh, shoot, what is it? Suzy, right?”

“No!”

“Nosey?”

A giggle burst out of her. “Nope!”

“Oh, I’ve got it. Toes-y.”

She collapsed into her chair, laughing. “No, Uncle Greg!”

The bedroom door flew open and Sherlock strutted into the kitchen, dressed in one of his poncy suits. “What’s so funny?” he demanded, pressing a kiss to Rosie’s hair before accepting the mug John handed him. “Has Lestrade brought me a hilariously simple case?”

“He’s forgotten her name again,” John explained, leaning against the worktop and smiling at Rosie, who was munching happily on a strawberry. 

Sitting to Rosie’s right, Sherlock raised an eyebrow at Greg. “Forgetting things already in your advanced age?” he wondered, smirking around a sip of coffee as Lestrade spluttered.

“Oh, come off it. It took you literal years to remember my name!”

Rosie looked at Sherlock with astonishment. “You forgot Uncle Greg’s name?”

“I had more important things to remember,” Sherlock told her seriously.

“Oh, like the solar system?” John interjected and Lestrade laughed.

“You mean like how the earth goes around the sun?” Rosie asked and Lestrade laughed harder.

“Okay!” Sherlock announced, standing up. “Time for school.”

“But I’m not done!” Rosie complained, mushing her last strawberry with her fork.

“Oh!” Lestrade cried, slapping his forehead dramatically. “I’ve just remembered! Rosamund Mary Holmes Watson!”

“Yes!” Rosie sang. “Rosie for short!”

“Rosie!” he exclaimed, long and drawn out in realization. “That’s right!”

Lestrade watched out of the corner of his eye as Sherlock accepted a small ladybird backpack along with a slow kiss from John. When John leaned back Sherlock pressed back in for another quick peck.

“I promise to remember next time,” Lestrade told Rosie, who paid her parents no mind. 

“It’s okay if you forget,” she promised. “I like your names.”

He chuckled. “Okay, Petal.”

“If you’re mashing up your food rather than eating it, you’re clearly done,” John noted, taking her mostly empty plate away. 

Hopping out of her chair, Rosie joined Sherlock in the doorway, allowing him to help her into her coat with familiar ease. “Can Uncle Greg take me to school?”

“Uncle Greg can join us if his case is interesting,” Sherlock muttered darkly, grabbing his own coat. 

“Greg,” John asked innocently. “Did you happen to come in your police car?”

It was difficult to maintain an oblivious expression, especially as Rosie immediately perked up and Sherlock glowered. Rosie loved police cars for the simple fact that she could call them panda cars. “In fact, I did, John. Why do you ask?”

“Uncle Greg!” Rosie interrupted, plaintive and eager at once. “Can you pleeeease drive me to school in your panda car?”

“Would you,” Sherlock corrected between his teeth, struggling to keep his tone pleasant.

Rosie barely glanced at him. “Uncle Greg, would you pleeeease drive me to school in your panda car?” 

Kneeling down in front of her, Greg met Rosie’s very solemn expression. “You know what? I’ll drive both you  _and_ Sherlock to school in my panda car.”

With a squealed “Thank you!” Rosie turned and darted down the stairs.

Shouldering the ladybird backpack, Sherlock growled, “I hate you both,” and followed his daughter.

“Have a good day at work, love!” John called after him, chuckling. 

“You won’t be joining us?” 

“I’ve got a shift at the clinic, but if you’re still running around later I’ll see if Molly can babysit and I’ll join you.”

Nodding, Lestrade headed for the door, then paused. He glanced back into the flat, where a photo of Mary rested on the ledge by the skull, where a half-finished children’s puzzle lay spread out on the coffee table, where John’s and Sherlock’s mugs sat next to each other on the worktop. He thought of how much easier it would have been for John to cut ties with this life, to take Rosie and start fresh, somewhere he wouldn’t be reminded every day of the trauma he had faced. He thought of how John, with help, had worked through everything, had come to terms with it all, had apologized and forgiven, had accepted and moved forward. 

“You’ve done good, John,” Lestrade told him seriously.

“I’ve had a lot of help,” John argued, smiling self-deprecatingly. “But yeah, things have turned out pretty great. As good as they can be.”

_“Uncle Greeeeg!”_  

_“Lestrade, if you don’t stop gossiping with John I will hot-wire your car and drive Rosie to school myself.”_

“Yeesh, it’s like having two kids, isn’t it?”

John laughed. “You’d better go, or he really will.” 

With a grin, Lestrade nodded and turned to leave.

“And, Greg? Thanks.”

Smiling, Lestrade trotted down the familiar stairs.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr.


End file.
